Brother of baby who died three days after birth finally leaves hospital for first time

The brother of a baby who tragically died at just three-days-old has finally left hospital for the very first time.

Sophie and Luke Kitcher lost little Huxley in 2021 during surgery to repair a hole in his intestine.

But a year on, Sophie and Luke welcomed Ralphie, who came into the world on 5 October 2022, much to the parents' delight.

However, Sophie and Luke were about to go through more heartache as little Ralphie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) at only a few weeks old.

Sophie first suspected something was wrong after Ralphie wouldn't settle at night, though she suspected it was just trapped wind or colic.

After Ralphie's condition worsened, which saw a cyst grow on his head and bruise-like marks appear across his body, the little man was sent to A&E.

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Ralphie was sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, the place where his brother Huxley died the year before.

"I was petrified to fall pregnant again after Huxley died. We had testing done before Ralphie was born," Sophie said.

"All the tests showed it was just bad luck that we'd had another incredibly poorly baby. It was nothing we'd done, nothing genetically wrong, just bad luck."

Back in January of this year, while Ralphie had not received the all-clear, he only had two more rounds of chemotherapy to go and consultants were happy with his progress.

And in March came that wonderful moment when his parents got to ring the bell to mark the end of his treatment.

Sophie said: "He's our inspiration. He's just a little baby going through all this, battling on.

"Watching what he's gone through, I wouldn't have survived it. He's shown so much strength."

Sophie has also taken to Instagram in recent days to mark six months since Ralphie was born, and it is fair to say she is delighted that her son is home.

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She wrote: "My heart is so so full, im having the most amazing time at home with my boy where he belongs.

"This is all ive ever dreamt about and wanted for as long as i can remember!

"Happy 6 months Ralphie, you and ur big brother in the sky make me the proudest Mummy in the world!

"I promise to do my best and make you smile every single day because you really do deserve the world!"

For those unaware, acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a rare type of cancer, with around 3,100 people diagnosed with it in the UK each year, according to the NHS.

Ralphie's case is even rarer though, as the chances of developing AML increase with age, with it most commonly impacting adults over the age of 75.